Watching the Stamford balloon parade is similar to seeing the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, without having to spend the Thanksgiving holiday trundling two pre-schoolers into Manhattan, Reichin said.

"We get to enjoy a parade and still be home on the holidays instead of going to the city," she said.

Just after noon Sunday, the crowd cheered loudly as a cavalcade of police motorcyclists from Connecticut and Westchester County sounded their sirens, and, along with more than a dozen local police, fire, and emergency medical officials, led the parade's start at Summer and Hoyt streets. They were followed by the floating likenesses of Oscar the Grouch and the Very Hungry Caterpillar, as the New York City Police DepartmentEmerald Society Band played "Jingle Bells" on bagpipes and drums.

The officials represented the city's first responders, who were honored as parade grand marshals, in recognition of their long hours answering emergency calls in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.

"I think this speaks very well of the city of Stamford to honor people who are committed to protecting others during those storms we experienced," Mayor Michael Pavia said. "It's also a great way for people to get back to normal and kick off the holidays after a tough couple of weeks."

Tens of thousands of spectators drawn from throughout Connecticut and New York packed themselves along the zig-zag route that followed Summer Street south across Broad Street and down Atlantic Street, as children awaited their favorite characters among this year's flotilla of 18 helium balloons as they hovered and spun downtown.

Alongside perennial favorites such as Sesame Street's Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster and Popeye, a new pair of balloons -- the Lorax, an environmentally-conscious character from the Dr. Seuss canon, and Red, from Jim Henson's 1980s hit live puppetry series "Fraggle Rock" made their debuts in this year's spectacular.

Dozens of local and regional marching bands, dance troupes, including the cast of the Stamford All-School Musical production of "Beauty and the Beast" also paraded downtown, mixed together with a kaleidoscopic battalion of costumed stilt-walkers and clowns.

Jennifer Humphrey-Rosa, of Stamford, laughed as she watched the clowns performing alongside the stilt walker dressed as a giant green cricket. She stood in front of the Rich Forum with her daughters, Kori, 12, and Kamire, 10, and her husband, Rafael Rosa.

On upper Summer Street, Andrea and Brian O'Loughlin of Stamford found an open stretch of asphalt to watch the parade with their 4-year-old son Aidan and 2-year-old son Chase, along with their friends Ralph and Marie Anderson and their son Ryan.

Aidan said the quick arrival of the Very Hungry Caterpillar, second in the line of march of balloons, was what he was most excited to see.

"I like all the balloons but the Very Hungry Caterpillar is the best," he said.

Before the parade, hundreds of volunteer balloon handlers waited for the kick off on Hoyt Street, some drinking coffee and eating sandwiches and expressing gratitude for a temperate day without strong breezes.

Sammy Alemseghed, a manager of information technology for the City of Stamford, returned for his 13th year as a balloon handler, the past several with his 17-year-old daughter Sammi, a student at Academy of Information Technology and Engineering, also manning the ropes of the mustachioed Lorax.

"I have so many good memories of the parade waving to the people and seeing my friends," Sammi Alemseghed said. "Even if I go away to college next year I'll have to come back for this."

"We're old pros at this point," Sammy Alemseghed said.

A group of workers from the Sanitation Department, wearing bright orange vests, waited for the parade to start near one of the balloon vendors. Their duties are mostly to help with preparation and cleanup, surveying the parade as extra security while it's in progress.

"We're supposed to concentrate on crowd control, but you do get to enjoy the parade as well," Robert Fisher said. "By having all of us out here, it's an additional presence for security. It's a fun day, though. We love this job."

"It'll be spotless when the parade is over," Benny Garrett said, alluding to the city's speedy cleanup after the festivities.

"I'm running around making sure everyone is happy," Klein said, pausing for a moment in front of the reviewing stand. "It's really wild to get down here with the parade still going on."

Once the last float carrying Santa Claus passes the parade's start position, crews already begin their cleanup efforts, Klein said, working their way down the route in the wake of the procession.

For Klein, the day of the parade itself is a mixture of chaos and enjoyment.

"I really do have the most fun," he said. "The last note I gave to the balloon handlers and all the volunteers is to smile and have a good time. I'm also looking forward to a hot chocolate afterward, to get warm."

At the reviewing stand near the Rich Forum, dignitaries were granted one of the best vantage points, as the marching bands and dance troupes stopped to perform in front of the platform. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., among those watching at the reviewing stand, called this year's parade "the biggest and best in the state."

"It makes me proud to be from Stamford," Blumenthal said. "I brag about this parade in Washington. There's so many different ages and backgrounds, people from every walk of life participating and appreciating. It brings out the best in all of Connecticut."

State Rep. Gerry Fox III, D-Stamford, noted that Sunday was one of the biggest parade crowds he'd seen.

"The combination of all the different participants has made it a huge success," he said.

During the parade, children could be heard expectantly asking when certain balloons would pass, and shouting "spin" along with their parents, urging the handlers to rotate the balloons.

Madeline Pietrafesa, 8, stood with friends Tyler and Kylie Pruneau at the very edge of the sidewalk barrier.

"We always come here together," Madeline said. "It's cool because you get to see clowns and people juggling things."

Brendan Martino, 5, has been to the parade several times before with his dad, Matt Martino, and always likes to see the balloons -- but not the clowns. At his dad's prompting, Brendan demonstrated how he planned to hide when the clowns came by, pulling the visor of his red baseball cap over his face.

"The weather is a big thing," Martino said. "On a beautiful day like today, it seems to bring more people out. We'll keep coming back."

After all the balloons had passed the crowd by, Santa Claus made his appearance on a float pulled by a 1950 Stingray fire truck alongside cast members from the New England Academy of Dance's annual production of Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker."

Sandy Goldstein, president of the DSSD stepped off the reviewing stand at the end of the parade, feeling satisfied with the results.

"I thought it was fabulous, the best yet," Goldstein said. "The balloons flew better than I've seen them fly. All you had to do was look at the faces of the kids -- what joy. It's such a pleasure to do this."